Hugh Michael Seely, 1st Baron Sherwood (2 October 1898 – 1 April 1970), known as Sir Hugh Seely, 3rd Baronet, of Sherwood Lodge, Nottinghamshire, from 1926 to 1941, was a British Liberal politician.
The Lord Sherwood | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Under-Secretary of State for Air | |
| In office 1941–1944 Serving with The Lord Balfour of Inchrye (1941–44) | |
| Prime Minister | Winston Churchill |
| Preceded by | Anthony Muirhead |
| Succeeded by | Rupert Brabner |
| Member of Parliament for Berwick-upon-Tweed | |
| In office 14 November 1935 – 14 August 1941 | |
| Preceded by | Alfred Todd |
| Succeeded by | George Grey |
| Member of Parliament for East Norfolk | |
| In office 6 December 1923 – 29 October 1924 | |
| Preceded by | Michael Falcon |
| Succeeded by | Reginald Neville |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 2 October 1898 |
| Died | 1 April 1970 (aged 71) |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Liberal |
| Spouses | Hon. Molly Chetwode
(m. 1942; div. 1948)Catherine Thornton Ranger
(m. 1970) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Branch/service | British Army,Auxiliary Air Force |
| Years of service | 1914–1918, 1936–1938 |
| Rank | Lieutenant, Squadron Leader |
| Unit | Grenadier Guards, No. 504 Squadron RAF |
| Commands | No. 504 Squadron RAF |
| Battles/wars | First World War |
Early life
editSeely was born on 2 October 1898 into a family of politicians, industrialists and significant landowners. His great-grandfather Charles Seely, grandfather Sir Charles Seely, 1st Baronet, father Sir Charles Seely, 2nd Baronet, and uncle J. E. B. Seely, 1st Baron Mottistone, were all members of Parliament. His mother, Hilda Lucy Grant, was the daughter of Richard Tassell Anthony Grant and the granddaughter of inventor Sir Thomas Tassell Grant. His brother Victor's son was Sir Nigel Seely.[1]
Seely was educated at Eton College and became a lieutenant in the Grenadier Guards.[1]
Career
editSeely served with the Auxiliary Air Force and was the Commanding Officer for No. 504 Squadron RAF from 1936 to 1938.[2] He was a Member of Parliament (MP) for East Norfolk from 1923 to 1924, High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire for 1925 and MP for Berwick-upon-Tweed from 1935 to 1941. He was the Joint Under-Secretary of State for Air during a large part of the Second World War (1941–45). In 1946 he acquired and was Chairman of the famous gunmaker James Purdey and Sons.[3]
He was created Baron Sherwood, of Calverton in the County of Nottingham on 14 August 1941.[4]
Personal life
editOn 23 March 1942, Seely married the Hon. Molly Patricia (née Berry) Chetwode, daughter of William Berry, 1st Viscount Camrose, who owned The Daily Telegraph newspaper. She was the widow of Roger Charles George Chetwode (a son of Philip Chetwode, 1st Baron Chetwode), with whom she had two sons. The marriage was short-lived, however, as the couple divorced in 1948. She later married Sir Richard Cotterell, 5th Baronet, in 1958.[1]
Lord Sherwood remarried to Catherine (née Thornton) Ranger (widow of John Osborne Ranger) on 16 March 1970, shortly before his death on 1 April 1970. As he had no children, the barony became extinct upon his death. His brother Victor inherited the baronetcy.[1]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d Peter W. Hammond, editor, The Complete Peerage or a History of the House of Lords and All its Members From the Earliest Times, Volume XIV: Addenda & Corrigenda (Stroud, Gloucestershire, U.K.: Sutton Publishing, 1998), p. 749.
- ^ Rolls-Royce From the Wings 1925-1971 Military Aviation, R. W. Harker, ISBN 0 902280 38 4, p. 20, photograph caption "...From the left:...Lord Sherwood."
- ^ "Purdey History". Purdey: Gun & Rifle Makers. Archived from the original on 6 February 2017. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
- ^ "No. 35251". The London Gazette. 19 August 1941. p. 4808.
Further reading
edit- Burke's Peerage and Baronetage 107th Edition Volume III [ *Burke's Peerage and Baronetage 107th Edition Volume III [1] Archived 3 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine
- Information on the Seely family estates at the UK National Registry of Archives
- Wight Life April/May 1975 article on The Seely Family and their Island Homes [2]
- The Great Houses of Nottinghamshire, Sherwood Lodge (1881)
- Correspondence with Winston Churchill [3]
External links
edit- Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Hugh Seely